The ALfheim Assassin
by AbelOdell
Summary: The journey of Darien, a foreign transfer student, new to VRMMOs and discover how he became the Assassin of Alfheim. Join me as the story unfolds, romance blossoms and danger brews. It will be an adventure like no other. [Takes place during Mothers Rosario, Cameo appearances from other characters included. Reviews/constructive criticism welcome! Hope you enjoy!]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Darien clenched his jaw, heavy quick breaths steamed the window, and sweat trickled down his forehead, sliding between it and the cool glass. The young man mumbled in his sleep, fingers twitching before he bolted upright, panting. He rubbed his face with his hands, drying his face with the long-sleeves of his shirt and blinked two or three times before realizing that it wasn't his eyes. The cabin lights were off, save for a few personal lights scattered about. _Probably people like me who can't sleep,_ he thought to himself before sucking in a breath and lifting his arms in an awkward stretch, scrunching them against the console above his seat. _Seriously, I thought the seats would have a little more wiggle room in first class; I'd hate to see coach. _He thought to himself.

With a soft _click_ the light above him bloomed to life and he opened the air vent, he couldn't hear the air flow through the constant roar of the engine but he could feel the cold air running gently through his mess of brown hair. Turning to his right he made sure his parents hadn't been woken up by his thrashing, thankfully both were still asleep. His eyes then went to the window which had been his unwilling, uncomfortable but thankfully cold pillow. Forest colored eyes met his own against a sea of dark clouds. A light layer above the blackness reflected the gentle rays of the moon, bathing it in a world of contrast. Like snow floating on an ocean of ink, after a clever bit of repositioning and a fair amount of squirming he managed to retrieve the phone from his pocket. Unlocking it he went to his app list and selected his GPS. Again the time zone had changed and they were flying over Africa, he guessed that in about an hour or two they'd reach the layover station in China or Korea before they arrived in Japan.

Thinking about the move always filled him with conflicting emotions; fear, excitement, nervousness, happiness, anger, regret and hope. All at once, on one hand, he'd be in video games and VRMMO central! The creators of the Nervegear and Amusphere had lived and did live in Japan respectively. Plus he had always wanted to go there. That desire had been fueled ever since he had tried Virtual Reality, which had enthralled him ever since and that was just a simple language learning program. It was exhilarating to try out that tech for the first time. On the other hand, the few friends he had were all in America and if experience is half the teacher people say it is, they wouldn't keep in contact like they promised. Sure, they'd try for a couple of weeks, but after that… It'd slow down and then stop altogether. His hands gathered the dark fabric of his pants tightly and he gritted his teeth. _I'll have to meet new people, make new friends and to do that…_ He shook his head, _who knows; maybe someone will want to be friends with me first. Yeah and next it'll rain toads or something equally impossible._

"Sir, you look kind of pale, do you need something?" An attendant asked in a hushed tone. Darien's head snapped to the woman. He took a deep breath, composed himself and held up a hand, shaking his head. She gave him an encouraging smile and he returned it amiably. In an attempt to get his mind off everything he reached under his seat and scrounged around for his laptop. It was a little difficult to do without moving around too much and waking his parents. His 'clothes' didn't help either; the black satin cloth seemed to be coiling around his arms, confining his movements. The suit had been fine during the services when he was standing. Now though, it was dawning on him that there was a reason people didn't go around wearing suits all the time.

He was starting to regret saying he was fine when his mother asked if he wanted to change at the first layover station. Now it was too little too late and he wasn't about to fight his way through the seats and down the aisle to the bathroom. He refused to give his mom that satisfaction so for now he decided to suffer. Finally his fingers managed to claw the straps to the computer case and he pulled it free. Within seconds he had the laptop powered up and working. He knew exactly what he was going to be researching to pass the time. While he was in America he had been saving up his allowance and he knew the perfect thing to spend it on. Using Google he started tracking down shops that sold Amuspheres near his new Japanese address. Entering a few different key words and phrases he found a shop that was about half an hour walking distance away and their hours. Then he pulled out the pocket book he had in his shirt pocket and wrote down the directions. It was Winter break in Japan, so he knew how he'd be spending his time in the days before high school.

Then he checked their prices and found he had just enough for the gear and one game, with a small amount of pocket change left over. _Finally, _finally_ I'll get to play a current gen game!_ For the longest time his dad had only let him play games on the older consoles that he had maintained through the years. So he would learn to 'appreciate' the new VR games when he got to play them. _Maybe_ there was some truth to his words and _maybe_ diving would help with jet lag, you never know, right? The game he had _most_ wanted to play was Sword Art Online. Swords or magic was more his style, not shooters. The less modernized the better. Though only ten thousand copies were sold the first day and he didn't have a Nervegear.

Then it became the SAO incident, thousands dying in that death game. He still got shivers when he remembered the news coverage, watching emergency personal carry limp bodies with the devices on their heads to the hospital. Darien still didn't know if, given the chance, whether or not he would have gotten a copy knowing what would happen. The new Amusphere, though had apparently made it impossible for such a thing to happen again. And while skimming through some of the reviews he found what sounded like a good game. ALFhiem Online, it even had SAOs sword skills and floating castle in the newest patch. The section about skill based gameplay sold him on the idea. There are apparently no 'levels' in the game per say.

You just had to keep using the same skills and your ability to use those skills would increase. It also encourages PvP, something he enjoyed in the few PC games he got to play. Then he wiki'd the game, it had exchanged hands or a leader stepped down or something. He learned the game's races, what kind of skills it had and started thinking of the character he'd make. He didn't get very far however as the pilot's voice came over the intercom, announcing their decent into China. Putting his laptop back in its case he shook his parents awake, his plans put on hold for the time being. They landed in some city he didn't hear the name of and grabbed the spare clothes bag he had and asked his mom to hold his laptop.

She was pretty he guessed, as far as moms went. Dark brown hair and sky blue eyes. Though as her son, he knew all too well that behind that unassuming olive face was a fierce tigress. A regional Taekwondo champion in the States and a self-defense instructor and also happened to be a successful novelist. She was trying to look calm, probably for his sake, but he could see the weariness in her eyes. She was suspicious and alert for any signs of a threat. She put too much stock in those stories about muggers and thieves in airports. Not that he could blame her, that's part of the reason why she held the computer instead of his dad.

His dad was twisting and turning, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. He was tall and probably thankful for the chance to stretch his legs. The man's messy dark hair swayed as he moved, as he finished this exercise, he straightened and readjusted the glasses on his hawk-like nose. His stance shifted into a relaxed posture, completely at home with where he was. His most notable feature though were his eyes and it was those same eyes that held a different quality than the relaxed man he passed himself off as. They were a piercing dark green and held a razors intellect. His dad's career of choice was computer and electrical engineering, which was why they were going to Japan in the first place, someone had given him an offer he 'simply couldn't refuse' according to him. Once Darien completed his own stretch, he turned to his parents.

"I'm going to go change before we board again." His mother turned her gaze toward him and gave a knowing smirk. He waved her off before she could start. "Yeah, yeah mom, you were right. Now gloat silently." He said with a smile. His dad shook his head in mock disapproval and waved him off, fighting a grin of his own. It wouldn't take him too long to go into the bathroom and change before they had to get back on the plane. Going into the stall, he quickly tore off the expensive clothing he wore and tossed it into the bag before jumping into a pair of jeans and a red shirt. He left just as quickly as he entered and kept a tight grip on his bag at all times. Paranoid or not, it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to places like this.

If he remembered things right, they would be at this station for about an hour. In theory that would give him enough time to think about and plan out his character, skills he would focus on and weapon types he would use. He always preferred the roguish type of play style so hopefully he'd be able to find something like that. The more he could plan out how he would make his character, the more time he'd have to play once they landed in Japan.

Making his way back to his parents they got some food from the café in the station. So he did what every gamer has done before him, he multitasked, eating and reading up on ALFhiem at the same time. He made a few notes on his computer, picking the few things that interested him. For starters, he wanted to be a Cait Sith, second he wanted to use one-handed straight swords, daggers and throwing knives. Dark and fire magic also caught his eye, so he jotted that down as well, then for some added flavor and something to do besides fight, he added armor crafting. Darien loved customization and making his avatar have his own unique look was something he enjoyed.

"Some kind of game?" His mom asked, looking over at his computer to see what he was reading. He nodded, taking a bite of his burger.

"Yeah, called ALFhiem online, it looks really good."

"Says there, it's about fairies." She pointed out.

"Yeah, and?" Darien asked, "Still fantasy. And I love fantasy settings."

"I've heard about that game," His dad commented. "It has a mostly female player base from what I've read."

"Ooh." His mom said in understanding. "I see." She gave him a wry look.

"What?" He asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

"Darien you aren't going on this game just for the ladies, are you?"

"What?" He said again, though this time less dignified and more out of shock. He felt a rush of head in his chest. "No! It has skill based combat and magic and a whole slew of customization. I'm not going there just for girls!"

"My, my Darien, you're getting quite defensive there, did we strike at your hidden motive?" His dad asked with a smile.

"I'm ignoring you two now." He said as they both started laughing, figuring they teased him enough; they left him alone to continue his vitally important research. Darien found out what starting weapons there were to choose from and how the skill progression system worked in more detail. Though there was only so much he could learn from a wiki and he didn't want to spoil any of the quests either. It might even be a good idea to look into finding people that knew what they were doing and give him some pointers.

Or at least some basic knowledge on how some mechanics worked that the NPCs wouldn't be able to tell him, with that in mind, he decided to look up some forums to see if there were any key players he might be able to find. Someone known for their skills in a fight or their skills in a craft, there was the salamander military commander and a few more but none of them really stuck out to him. Maybe he'd have better luck asking around in the game, though he doubted anyone would give away their combat secrets. So he might be better off trying to become an apprentice to a blacksmith or something.

So he would be focusing on; One-Handed Sword, Light Metal Equipment, Parry, Blade Throwing, Martial Arts, Dark Magic, Fire Magic, Sprint, Hiding, Acrobatics, Searching, Metal Refining, Slash Weapon Forging, Light Metal Armor Forging, and Battle Healing. Now how good that carried over from paper to the game was a tough call, but it was something he definitely wanted to try.

He wanted to stick with his rogue idea, he might remove a couple here or there in place of another thing, but he couldn't fully plan things out until he got in the game. He needed to know how much light metal gave him compared to just wearing normal clothes and that would make the difference between learning Light Metal Armor Forging and Sewing. If he could find someone he could count on to make his weapons for him, which would free up more space as well. It looked daunting all written out though… Darien took a deep breath and erased all he had written about skill focuses_. _

_Let's just see what happens_, he told himself, _no sense in doing all that yet. I do that and I'll lose focus, besides, it's just a game, it's supposed to be fun, not to min max everything. Part of the problem of getting someone else to make my gear is I have to pay them. But on the other hand, _I _don't have to do it. _It was a hard choice, so instead he just struggled to put it out of his mind. Good thing too, because after finishing his meal, they had to get back on the plane. It wouldn't be too long before he would get a taste of the game, and then the choice would be much simpler. Hell, maybe he'd make new friends in the game.

Darien went to sleep as soon as they got on the plane, now able to do so in relative comfort. At least it would catch him up on the couple hours of sleep, he lost and he would be refreshed when he dove into the game. The cab ride to their new home was nothing special, the moving guys his dad had scheduled to come in should be setting everything up that they had brought from America and the house was already furnished, so they wouldn't have to worry about that. Overall his dad had gotten a pretty sweet deal from the company that wanted to hire him. The sun was out by the time they reached the house, but it was still fairly early in the morning.

"I'm going to go to the game store, just put my stuff in whatever room you want to be mine." He said, his mother rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Just be careful Darien." He nodded and walked down the street. It took him roughly an hour to find the store and fight through traffic. For the most part Darien avoided talking to people, he already stood out a bit for being American and he didn't want undue attention. Truth be told, he wasn't an overly talkative or social person to begin with. Except maybe in small groups, but Japan is just a sea of people. What he did find interesting though, was when there was a rumbling roar in the streets and he saw someone on a _real_ combustion engine motorbike. The rider was thin and looked male, but more than that he couldn't say because of the helmet and clothes.

His trip to the store was thankfully simple; taking those Japanese VR classes had really helped. Darien could barely resist running all the way home. The excitement was building in his chest as the bag with his purchase crinkled in his hand. His hand clutched the bag like an iron vice, keeping it closed. If anyone even thought about taking this from him, he would make them regret that decision very thoroughly. By the time he got back his mom had left to go to the store, probably to get things for dinner. His dad had already gone in his new study room to get everything set up to work from home so now was the perfect time.

He found the room that had his stuff in it, dashed inside and locked the door. He inserted the game, plugged in the power, and connected it to the wifi. First, he had to calibrate it, which didn't take too long after following some simple instructions. Then he had to make an account for ALFhiem. He went with the usual username and password he used for most games like this and accepted the terms of service without even looking at it. Lying on the bed, he settled in for his first VRMMO experience.

"Link start!" The world around him vanished as his senses were transmitted to the game world. Darien was now in a room where he saw all the different races in the game. He followed through with picking the Cait Sith, and then came the one thing he had completely forgotten about. "Crap! I need a name!" After several failed inputs due to it being taken, finally, out of frustration, he put in his real name. It was accepted, "Oh, you have got to be-"

Welcome to ALFhiem Online!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

Polygons flew past him as if he was falling down a long tunnel before he 'landed' in a sparsely populated area. It took him a moment to orient himself properly, it was weird how real things felt, but that was the point. It was _virtual reality_ after all. Looking around, he discovered he was in fact in a room, but it didn't look organized in any particular fashion. It was like everyone was trying to shove as many things as they could into their respective spaces without really thinking about how much room they had to work with. He examined the layout, particularly in the portion of the room where it looked like it had been blown out, leading to the outside. A girl approached him shortly after and gave him a pleasant smile, spreading her arms. She was cute in a way, friendly, white hair, blue eyes, short, along with the Cait Siths usual features.

"Welcome to ALFhiem Online, this is Butterfly Valley's tutorial area. The people here will help you become accustomed to the game mechanics and interface." _Ah, an NPC, now it makes sense_. He thought and nodded to the girl. So he probably spent about an hour learning the game mechanics, fighting system, weapon types and how each weapon felt along with how to use sword skills and magic. He even learned how to fly with the flight controller fairly well. The only thing Darien didn't like too much was how the flight controller took the use of your hand. However, he had seen screen shots of people flying without the use of the controller, so he would have to figure that out somehow.

Darien spent most of his time on the training dummies, while they gave very little in the way of skill progression. They were still very helpful in getting to know how everything felt; he discovered fairly quickly that his martial training in weapons did carry over. Which was very helpful as he knew all too well, especially with these types of games, the tutorial would only tell you the most basic of the basic. Everything else he would have to learn on his own. Eventually it came down to his starting equipment, there was one of every weapon type and either leather or light metal armors to start with.

He took leather armor without even thinking about it, in his opinion, it was better to be lightly armored and be able to move more freely and start wearing heavier stuff for protection later. Rather than doing it the other way around. As far as weapons went, he was stuck between a straight sword and a curved sword. Both offered distinct advantages and disadvantages. His first choice was of course a straight sword, it had the longer reach of the two and reach was a great advantage to have. Where as a curved sword had more cutting power for the length of the blade and a sturdy spine to block and parry with. The spine was also useful to grab and maneuver with to get in close, if that was his game.

Darien decided, on a whim, to branch out and take a curved sword. He could always change later and besides, it's a game and is supposed to be fun, may as well branch out of his comfort zone a bit. After equipping all of his gear, he was all set to leave. However, the same girl at the start came over and directed him to a mirror, which also happened to be connected to your account should you choose to alter your appearance. Sly dogs. He looked similar but different enough that he didn't automatically recognize himself in the mirror. His tall and lithe build was still much the same, with high cheekbones, slim jaw line and stubborn chin. His mischievous features were accented well with the cat like appearance of the Cait Siths.

His hair had and eyes had undergone the most dramatic change. Instead of the tangled wavy mass he was used to, his hair was now straight and stark white. Strands of hair shot down his forehead and reached the nape of his neck in an organized chaos. Giving him a devilish look and stopping just above his bright golden eyes. In addition he noticed his skin had darkened to a more olive complexion. He decided to add one more thing and spent a little money to make it happen. A triangular black stripe curved down both cheeks to end at his jaw. As far as his gear went, his plain brown leather armor was unassuming and the sword sheathed on his hip didn't look like much either.

With that he made his way to the exit and stepped out into the heart of Cait Sith territory. The Capitol of Butterfly Valley, Freelia, currently lead by, Alicia Rue. The sound hits him first; the place was packed by players and NPCs alike. It wasn't the biggest gathering of players he had ever seen, but there was enough there that you could clearly tell this was a major city. There were a few other races that he managed to pick out of the crowd, but they all seemed to be partying with the majority race. For equal parts being friends and protection he assumed. The second thing he noticed was the time in-game, the sun had begun to set so the sky was dyed in various different hues of crimson and orange.

The city itself was what you'd expect from a fantasy world. High walls, statues of various people of importance, fountains and shops. Though to avoid looking like the local new guy, he kept his eyes down and blended in with some of the people browsing the shops. He had some basic starting Yrd so he may as well see what the city had to offer. Freelia had a variety of items and actual players were also trying to sell custom wares, but most of them were out of his price range for the time being. Darien, eventually found his way to one of the cheaper shops; looking at the prices he guessed these are wares for new players. Still, it'd be a good opportunity to try out some of the gear that he hadn't gotten in the tutorial area.

He bought cloth wraps for gloves and some throwing knives. Those items alone nearly cleared out his wallet, so he wouldn't be buying anything else for a while. Weaving his way around the flux of people he made his way to the front gates of the city and within a couple of minutes he found his way to the small village just outside. This was likely the quest hub he was supposed to do first and then from there he could plot his next course of action. Plus the quests here were probably designed to give him some decent upgrades over his current gear, or at least lead him to monsters that would. Overall it gave him a very medieval Europe feel. Wooden homes built out of the forestry that stretched for miles, various farms populated with cattle and chickens. Farmers going to work in the fields and still others tended to their gardens.

The first quest Darien came across was called Scaly Vermin. Large reptiles were causing trouble in the local farms, eating everything in sight. Besides him there were a few different players doing quests of their own. It wasn't too hard to pick out who was actually a new player and who wasn't. There were even a few parties here and there. Then there was the steady flow of people entering and leaving Freelia. Returning his attention to his quest, he picked a field to go in. It was a simple, kill an x amount of creatures quest. There were also other options to complete the quest faster, from smashing eggs to vanquishing the brood mother. While killing the brood mother sounded really cool, there was apparently only one and she was hard to find. So he just focused on killing the normal lizards.

He found out fairly quickly that surprise attacks and back attacks did more damage. Especially with smaller weapons like knives and daggers. Activate a sword skill and it did even more damage. So he could throw them normally and save the sword skill delay or be guaranteed a hit by the system. The Cait Siths enhanced vision came in handy for the long throws. He barely used his sword simply because the enemies were somewhat small and annoying to hit. It was more effective to use his throwing knives. Which he could retrieve after he threw them or wait for them to reappear which took about ten or more seconds for each knife.

Darien was about midway through the quest when he jumped on a mound of dirt and threw two throwing knives and killed some unsuspecting lizards, it was quite satisfying to throw more than one at once. He was even starting to unlock some sword skills for his knives and was getting small amounts of progress towards the Dagger skill. Suddenly the mound beneath him started moving. On reflex he leapt from it, throwing three knives that sunk solidly into the rising mass. It shook the dirt from its hide to reveal a rather large version of the lizards he had been fighting, it didn't look very happy about the knives he had struck it with. Its scaly back was brown and a large wrinkled pile of flesh massed around it's throat. It looked like an overgrown komodo dragon.

_An adult one_, he thought, _and about the size of a large dog too._ He drew his simple curved blade and readied himself for its attack. It charged, swiping at his left side with its claw. He back stepped smoothly, and countered with a slash to its forearm. A dark red gash of data marked where the creature had been cut as it retreated with a hiss. Darien pressed the attack and clipped it on the muzzle before it got too far out of his reach but his basic sword was too short. He pressed forward again, trying to keep pressure on the thing, but it was a fast and lithe creature.

Its chest swelled and Darien skids on his heels to a halt to leap away as a cloud of green gas spewed from its maw. His vision of the lizard was cut off, he had to think, it could be approaching him from any angle. But it would have to move through the cloud to get to him so he focused on the lingering fumes for signs of movement. To the right! Something shot out of the cloud at lightning speed, Darien managed to twist so the blow mostly bounced off but he still took damage. It shot out twice more, both narrow misses and that's when Darien realized it was the lizards tongue!

As the gas cleared, he saw it more than a dozen feet away and cursed. No way he'd be able to get close enough without taking at least one or two more hits and if he wasn't lucky, those hits could take him out. His armor wasn't the best, nor was his weapon. He had to get in fast and hit it hard with a sword skill. Speed and power… He needed both in equal amounts, if only he had a better sword! Sword… He managed a quick glance at his weapon. Curved, sabers were curved. Sabers, horses, cavalry sabers! A toothy smile made its way onto his face, there was a way. He summoned the flight controller and his wings flickered to life.

He crouched like a cat preparing to spring, its tongue rocketed forward again and he dashed, keeping his head low as the appendage sailed over his head. It came out again, clipping him in the shoulder and leg. He saw the next attack coming and ducked to the side and followed through into a roll before launching forward in a burst of speed with his wings. Darien banked low, his nose nearly touching the ground as the tongue sailed overhead. As he sped towards the overgrown reptile he activated a sword skill and the curved blade began to glow with a fierce red light.

Dariens sword slashed a bright red line down the length of the reptile's body, it wobbled, then fell, exploding into polygons of various colors and he was met with a reward got quite a bit more money for defeating an adult one, giving him enough credit to finish the quest, and he got a piece of armor. A random drop the adults have a chance to give. Light metal bracers, no fancy name but it was armor he didn't have which counted for something in his book. Getting a new piece of gear always felt nice and this was the first of many. Putting the bracers on he realized that they didn't get rid of his gloves, so he decided to try something. By wrapping the cloth over the armor, you couldn't even tell that it was there. _Perfect,_ he thought, _I'm loving this game already. _

With that, he returned to the village and claimed his reward. For killing an adult, he also got a sword made by the local blacksmith and got to choose what it would be. He chose a cutlass called Scale Shaver, it had a scale pattern on the false edge and a short edge near the tip of the blade._ Now we're talking,_ a pleased smile touched his lips as he replaced his modest curved short blade. He knew very well that this wasn't a huge upgrade, but, a journey of a thousand miles and all that. _Now that I've gotten a feel for the combat, exploring may be a good idea. The Sylph territory should be a good start, with our alliance there shouldn't be any trouble going that way._

He briefly checked the world map and found a path that would lead him to the south. Checking the clock, he saw he had already been playing for quite a few hours. Time does fly, that's for sure. He should be fine playing for a few more yet, he did get an early start._ I'm getting a little hungry but_ _I should be fine for a few more hours, right? _The thing Darien enjoyed the most about ALfheim so far was that he wasn't confined to a single area. Sure the monsters were tougher the further you got away from the capitals, but if you were good enough it didn't matter. High level gear was an advantage, a reward for skilled play. It complimented your abilities, and wasn't the sole factor for survival.

Granted, it would be more effective to fly there, Darien decided to make the best of the time and work on his sprint and acrobatics skills instead. _Can't work on those if I'm just flying everywhere,_ he told himself. It felt absolutely riveting, slowly but surely gaining speed as he dashed down this forest pathway, he could never run this fast in real life, even if he wanted to._ So this is full dive technology, I can see why it's addicting. _Just to add in some fun, he added in some acrobatic tricks to dodge some of the random obstacles and monsters along the path. The wind howled in his ears and blew out his hair behind him as he became a flash of silver through the forest.

After about thirty minutes of running he slowed and came to a stop, leaning his shoulder against a tree to catch his breath. In the forest the sun had already sunk below the horizon and the stars had come out. Though he couldn't see the moon through the surrounding trees. A smile played across his face as he panted, he never would have dreamed that running would have been such an experience._ I made the right choice; checking out this game, now how much further do I_-, he stiffened. His ears shot up in alarm, tail twitching. What was that noise? It sounded like… There it was again! A metallic clashing sound. Someone, he was certain, was fighting. Not too far away either. He only pondered the situation for a few seconds before his curiosity got the better of him and he tracked the source of the noise through the thick foliage.

It didn't take Darien long to find the skirmish. It was a woman, a sylph by the looks of it, or at least she was wearing the typical green sylvan colors, she had pale skin and dark hair but he couldn't gather much else from this distance. Her opponents where dawned in the red and black of the Salamanders, with a couple of remain lights scattered about. Under normal circumstances she would have been winning but they out-numbered her eight to one. They were slowly forming a half circle around her, backing her into a corner and there wasn't much she could do about it. If she took off then they'd have a clear shot with some fire magic, but if she stayed put she'd be boxed in. Either way it didn't look good.

"Come on lady, there are eight of us and one of you. We'll get the items no matter what, do you really want to take a death penalty?" He heard one of them say.

"I'll take at least half of you down with me, so come get me." She snarled. Darien balled his hands into fists, his jaw clenched. This was like elementary school all over again for him. He hated bullies, especially when they ganged up on a single person like this. He wouldn't allow himself to sit by and do nothing, even if he went down, he'd take the rest of them with him. Darien climbed a tree behind the group, he saw the woman flick her eyes up in his direction and he put a finger to his lips. Then be brought out six throwing knives, three in each hand and activated a Sword Skill Death Lotus. His knives began to glow a dark purple as he leapt into the air, using the branch as a spring board. The large moon behind him cast a large shadow on the ground below. The back attack and sneak attack damage, combined with the sword skill meant two swift deaths.

Before he hit the ground, he summoned the flight controller and turned his momentum forward, drawing his cutlass as his third victim turned to meet his demise head on. He barely got out a surprised gasp as the slash came, removing his head from his shoulders. After the fatal strike the Salamander burst into flames. Dismissing the flight controller and his wings, Darien spun around, digging his heels into the ground. The long skid brought him to the Slyphs side, leaving a contrail of dust in his wake, he brought his sword up in a ready position.

"Who the hell are you?" One asked, the tone was heated but tinged slightly with fear.

"I've come to deliver some bad luck." Darien said, his expression cold; words dripping with scorn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

Standing next to the mystery girl he finally got a clearer look at what they were up against. Five guys, two with shields and lances, two with shields and sword, the last in the back held a staff. Glancing over to the sylph, she had a buckler and a long sword and her gear looked a lot better than his, so they might have a fair shot. The Salamanders shook off their shock in the few seconds it took for him to take a look at their equipment and began to size him up. Theoretically, their team had a better composition; Darien knew he would lose in a prolonged battle._ Going to have to end this quick, _he bent his knees in preparation for a lunge, waiting for an opening as the enemy ranks closed in on them. They had gone from confident to cautious, slowly making their way forward with their shields raised. He got the feeling they had done this before, or at least worked together enough to know how to work as a group.

As the two spearmen closed in on them, the mage began casting a spell. The swordsmen fell in behind the spearmen and began to flank around, that's when he saw his chance and sprinted forward. He could feel the sylph woman following close behind him. The defensive line of spears began to glow as sword skills were activated. Darien weaved to the right. The lance grazed his left shoulder. His opponent still had his shield raised, poking from behind a shield was often a decent strategy, it kept you safe from most counters with a blade. However, the stall from the sword skill left the man's arm extended. So instead Darien grabbed the Salamanders arm with his free hand. Then jammed the guard of his cutlass under the spearmens arm and used the leverage to maneuver his body. Simultaneously he pulled the curved blade downward, severing the limb.

A swift kick to the still raised shield sent the screaming fairy into his ally that had been trying to flank. From the sounds of combat behind him it sounded like the sylph woman was holding her own, so Darien grabbed the last throwing knife on his left side, activated a sword skill and threw it at the unsuspecting mage. It impacted with a satisfying _thunk _and a spray of red polygons. The enemy spellcaster was knocked flat from the impact and his concentration on the spell was lost. It wouldn't kill him, but it would take him out of the fight for a few precious seconds as he gathered himself back to his feet. Darien then turned his attention back to the other two.

He barely had time to put his sword in between him and the fireball hurtling toward him in meager defense. The teeth rattling explosion threw him backwards and tore the cutlass from his hand. Darien pivoted in the air and dug his heels into the earth, skidding to a halt and landing on all fours as the armless Salamander rushed him with just a shield. He drew the last knife he held in his belt and charged to meet him, keeping low to the ground. Smoothly dodging the kick aimed at him, Darien maneuvered to the supporting leg and dug the knife into the back of the man's heel.

With a yelp, the enemy dropped as his leg was taken out from under him and Darien finished him with a swift stab through the forehead. He looked up to see the swordsman conjuring up another spell to finish him off. _Damn, I took too long. _Sucking in his breath he gritted his teeth and tensed, expecting a full blown fiery death. Both he and the Salamander were surprised when a gale of wind and lightning tore through the area like a cannon ball. Destroying both the swordsman and the spell he had been casting. A nearby rustle told him that the battle wasn't over yet as he saw the enemy mage was trying to make a run for it. His last throwing knife began to glow a dark purple as he charged it with a sword skill. He aimed and with a swift flick like motion, he threw the blade. It arced towards the back of the Salamander, striking true and he too burst into a flickering flame; soon after the flame died.

Darien stood still for a moment, watching and listening for any signs of additional threats. Once he confirmed it was only the two of them, he relaxed, his breaths coming in heavy pants. Then he stooped over to retrieve his sword only to feel cold steel against his throat.

"Who are you?" The woman asked, "And why did you help me?" She kept her tone cold and neutral. The question itself though rubbed him the wrong way. He had just helped her, did it really matter?

"Isn't the 'why' kind of obvious?" His voice was dark and rumbled with barely contained violence. It took him a few heartbeats to realize how angry he was, his breathing was shaky and it felt like there was fire running through his veins instead of blood. That same heat roared in his ears and his vision swam for a moment. Had he been fighting like that too?

"Because I'm a woman? Maybe I can't handle myself? Or maybe I need a knight in shining armor to come save me?" She pressed the blade closer, giving him the barest of cuts. It took a small amount of HP, then again, he didn't have much left. Another couple of inches and he'd be suffering a death penalty of his own.

"Oh, give me a break, lady." He sighed, falling back on the grassy forest floor with a _wuff._ He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. The forest chirped and hummed with life around him as he let his mind wander. His muscles slowly relaxed and his heart rate became even again. There was one sensation that was missing just after a big fight, the smell of blood and sweat. Thankfully those particular smells didn't make it in game, that would be a little morbid. Shaking off the unpleasantness of those thoughts, he sat up, the woman still hadn't moved, but her expression had changed from hostile to curious.

"I'm nowhere near that chivalrous. The Cait Sith and Sylph are allies right? So why wouldn't I help?" He met her gaze. "And since you asked so nicely, my name is Darien, pleased to meet you…" he trailed off.

"Lindelle." She provided, "You know, you're pretty weird. Most players wouldn't help someone just because of an Alliance unless the odds were in their favor. Or at the very least they expect a reward from it."

"Well weird is definitely one of my traits." He mulled over her words for a moment. "But now that you mention it, I would like a reward." Placing a hand on her hip she let out a small sigh.

"What is it?"

"Information."

"Information?"

"Yeah, I need to get better, so I need names of people that are better than me, where to find them would also help." She nodded and chewed on that for a bit.

"There may be someone. They came to ALO not too long ago. People call her Zekken, I could take you there."

"Alright, that sounds like a-" Dariens stomach clenched and reverberated loudly around them. "Uh, could the reward come with a meal? I'm starved." Lindelle opened her mouth, stopped, then started laughing. Darien tried to hold the stinging embarrassment in his chest so it wouldn't rise to his face. He was only partly successful. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing, nothing, but sure." She said, summoning her wings and hovered slightly off the ground. She didn't need a controller…

"Could we walk?" He asked.

"It would be faster-" She stopped, studying his face. Darien quickly tried to mask his expression with neutrality. "You can't fly without a controller, can you?" He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "That's nothing to be ashamed of." She said with a smile. "Though that does tell me you're new and not a smurf account." Darien rolled his eyes, he hated having the title of noob but everyone started somewhere. Instead, he let the silence speak for itself. "I'll teach you, it's not that hard and the extra time will be worth it."

She instructed him to stand up and turn around, then placed her hand in between his shoulder blades. "Imagine bones and muscles sprouting from here and taking the form of wings." He closed his eyes and began to think. Darien had a fairly active imagination and with it constructed wing bones sprouting from near her hand. Muscles binding them, strengthening them, large white feathers sprouting the muscle and spreading outward to the full wingspan. "Yes, just like that." She encouraged. Darien gave his wings a mighty beat and launched himself skyward. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest and stayed on the ground instead and his eyes shot open in sudden rush of panic.

As such, he suddenly lurched sideways. Gritting his teeth, he gathered his concentration and slowed to a stop. _Calm down, keep the image in your head and focus on the feeling. _For the next few minutes he tested his range of motion, what imagery worked best for him and how mobile he could be in little ways while also trying to pivot and move in different directions. There were many games his dad let him play and among his favorites were aircraft simulators. This was a vastly more complicated machine and how the system worked so he wanted to make sure he had everything figured out before going anywhere.

As he was testing out the mechanics of the system and taking his time to learn, all Lindelle did was watch. Finally, Darien spoke.

"Quite the sensitive system is isn't it?"

"Of course, if you're flying without a controller. No, on second thought even with one, it's sensitive. You learn pretty quickly."

"Yeah, I've always been a fast learner." He said, now comfortable with his flying ability and turned to face her. "Alright, where to?"

"Ascantha, it's a neutral town and isn't too far if we fly there. It'll also get us pretty close to where we need to go." She explains and began to fly eastward. Darien followed close behind. _At least I'll be getting some food now; I don't think I'd be able to ask any good questions while hungry anyway. _It was at this moment, flying over a vast moonlit forest, that Darien realized how beautiful this game was. He was so excited just to get out here and start playing that he never stopped to look around and take in the sights. The air was crisp and cool against his skin as he accelerated on his very own wings. Perhaps he had been too quick to in his judgment in being labeled as a new player. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all.

The forest below him was lush and green, mixed with the subtle blue of the night. The stars overhead shone brighter than anything he had ever seen. The moon, so big and brilliant, it made everything glisten with a silver sheen. In the distance was the great World Tree, its presence like a silver monument to the sky. Overall, it made him feel entirely relaxed. This day was truly unforgettable. _So this is what it feels like to fly in a fantasy world. _The wind playfully tousled his hair, never before had he felt so free and content.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Lindelle asked.

"Yeah." Darien replied with a small sigh, she probably knew exactly what he was feeling. He flew closer to the Sylph and asked. "So why were those Salamanders after you anyway?"

"Well, Salamanders and Sylph have always had a rivalry. To be more specific though, they were after my items." Darien frowned, chewing over her words.

"Items? All that for items? Can items even drop in PvP?"

"A portion of a players items and Yrd are dropped upon death in PvP, yes. For the past couple of days I've been farming some pretty rare items and materials for a custom commission."

"By commission do you mean a Blacksmith to make your gear?"

"Yes, they are probably someone that I haggled with and felt they got a raw trade, but I'm not about to give up these items freely. I worked hard for them and I need all the materials gathered today. Since she's a fairly well known crafter, her work is sought after by a lot of people. If I don't have it in by today there is no guarantee that a spot will open up again anytime soon."

"Do you think I could go with you to see the Blacksmith work? I'm curious about how the crafting system works in this game."

"That's quite a bit for just one repayment, but I'll tell you what, while we eat, I'll consider it." Well, that's all he could really hope for. Even after this, there was no guarantee that he'd see Lindelle after they separated; sometimes that's just how players are. "Here we are." She announced, descending towards the town called Ascantha. It was a large settlement but not big enough to be considered a city. It had an old rustic feeling: gray stoned buildings, simple log houses, several farms and a few npcs with quests. It was a homey place. There were a few players milling about, but it wasn't too crowded.

They entered a small restaurant and Darien copied Lindelles order, it was easier to try food that way rather than get indecisive over the menu. The two ate their meals in relative silence; Darien listened to the sound of the surrounding patrons. Lindelle stirred her drink absently, her eyes unfocused. Now that he had the time he got a good look at her appearance since their first meeting. Looking at her now he got the impression she was a gentle person and more mature than most. Well, gentle until she's pressing a blade against your neck. He guessed she was a bit older than he was. Her deep purple hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her eyes were colored a saturated green. Her armor had the same green and white colors of most sylphs and seemed to mostly consist of light metal rather than leather. While she was pale, her skin had a more olive complexion than anything.

His eyes lifted from her and wandered around the room. The Tavern, as Darien had decided to call it, was filled with wooden tables and stools along with a bar at the end, leading back to the kitchens. NPCs came and walked around, taking orders for the food and bringing it out to the individual customers. Darien discovered that, barring a few exceptions, there weren't many player icons. So he assumed this wasn't a well traveled location. Maybe she chose it to avoid coming across more group PvPers. After about ten minutes, Lindelle finally spoke.

"Alright, I've made my decision."

"About what?"

"You coming with me." She said, giving him a serious look. Darien gave her his full attention. "I think me teaching you how to fly and treating you to a meal is enough of a reward for helping me out. Instead, let's make a deal. Zekken doesn't get to the twenty-fourth floor until three. So that gives us about three hours. Help me gather the rest of the materials I need and I will not only show you where to find Zekken, but also let you watch my gear get forged. As a gesture of good faith, I'll give you some of the gear I've gathered from farming these materials so you'll actually be able to help. Do we have a deal?"

That… Wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but she made a compelling argument. He wasn't big into farming but he knew it was a necessary part of many games. And while it wasn't something he wanted to get into right now, the gear improvement by itself would make it worth his while. It would also allow him to further his skill progression and learn some valuable farming spots for later. Truthfully it was a really good deal, but he had one thing that would make the deal even better.

"Do you have a duster to go with that?" He asked while a catty grin touched the corners of his mouth. She returned it and opened a trade menu. In five minutes Darien was decked out in new gear. His starting brown leather was replaced with a much nicer leather set, dyed white with black accents around his shoulders and under his new silver bracers. He also had a chest plate and leggings that protected his shins made out of a light, silvery metal. He also had a new sword, a scimitar called Wind Sheer made out a light speed metal with a green spine. It even had a short edge near the point of the blade. She did give him a second blade and a buckler if he decided to use something in his off-hand and a new knife-throwing set.

The last thing he got, which he specifically requested was a long sleeved leather duster, silver and trimmed with black with a v cut near the legs in the back. It even had a mantle which he loved. Using a mirror that Lindelle let him borrow he looked himself over.

"Now this is what I'm talking about." He said with a large smile.

"Well you better put it to good use, come on, we need to get going if we're going to get the rest of the materials on time."

"Alright, let's go." For the next two hours Darien and Lindelle flew from location to location, constantly killing a very specific group of mobs in a set location where respawns were at a high enough rate to farm easily and quickly. Lindelle had obviously planned a route because they progressed deeper through the territories of the game. _I'll have to come back here when I have more time and just take in the sights,_ Darien thought to himself.

He suddenly stopped when he spotted something in the sky, he recognized it instantly. The floating castle, Aincrad. _So they implemented it in this game huh? Interesting, very interesting. I'll get to play through the castle after all!_ His grip tightened on his sword and he fought with more ferocity. A land where a single blade can carry you to limitless heights, where skill in battle determined the victor, not stats and special items. That was what he had longed for and he finally found it. Hours felt like minutes and before long they were heading towards the castle in the sky, their sights set on the twenty-fourth floor.

The floor in which Zekken had set her stage was a place of many islands connected by various bridges. It was a flat place, mostly dominated by water. Though some islands were significantly larger and held buildings and towns, it seemed most people were funneling into one place. An island mostly dominated by a large tree. Beneath the tree was a large, shaded patch of dirt and in a loose ring; several dozen players gathered. He gave Lindelle a questioning look and she answered him with a nod. The two of them descended as a small imp woman, held up her hand in a V symbol as she had won yet another match. Those gathered erupted in a chorus of cheers and applause. _So that's Zekken…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Zekken, the absolute sword… He didn't know what he had been expecting, but this tiny girl hadn't been it. Lindelle had mentioned Zekken was a she but he had thought that an older, warrior looking woman would have held the title. But taking a closer look at her, she had to be younger than him. Which meant she was far more skilled than her appearance portrayed. You can't judge a book by its cover and after all, she had created an eleven hit OSS, which was an incredible achievement. Darien took a moment to look her over. She was short, shorter than most of the people here he was sure. Her hair was a deep purple and was long with bangs falling on either side of her face. Her gear was colored purple, accented in red and trimmed in gold.

"She's calling for more fighters, aren't you going to challenge her?" Lindelle asked, he shook his head.

"No, not yet. I want to see her fight first." All around him were players who probably PvPed on a regular basis or those who enjoyed watching PvP. So if he got to watch a fight first it could prove to be a good learning experience. That and… something unnerved him. Her gear, while it looked nice and he assumed it was decent equipment. It wasn't on the same level as the Demonic Sword Gram who was wielded by Eugene, largely considered on forums as being the strongest player in ALO. He had only been defeated a handful of times. This girl, who had never lost, was supposedly stronger.

Yet, unlike Eugene, she was as likeable as she was formidable. Her name was spoken with reverence and no one seemed to mind losing to her. He had to see it with his own eyes. A woman stumbled forward. She had blue hair and her armor was white like his but accented in blue instead of black. An Undine then…

"Miss, wanna fight?" The imp asked.

"Um… Okay, let's." She replied, Zekken snapped her fingers.

"Okay." She said in English and beckoned the woman closer. The Undine took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Can we use the standard rules?"

"Of course, use all the magic and items you want. I'll just use this though." Zekken replied, placing her hand on the pommel of her sword. _Interesting,_ Darien thought, _is she purposefully limiting herself to her sword to show her confidence? Or is she not good at magic? Or does she find items and magic unfair?_

Granted items and magic won't guarantee a victory, but they do give certain advantages. You don't go undefeated and stay that way if you limit yourself. Unless… This isn't about being the best. It's about skill. A gauntlet. There was a hidden agenda behind it all. Looking at the Undine, he saw her place her hand on the grip of her blade. The look on the woman's face said she was going to play it as straight as Zekken was. There was a measure of pride in these gestures. Their pride as swordsmen overshadowed their desire to win by any means necessary.

"Oh, right, do you prefer ground or aerial fights?"

"Is either okay?" The imp nodded, "Ground fights then."

"Okay. Jumping is okay, but no using your wings." Zekken said, her wings disappearing. The duel request was sent and the timer began as they drew their swords. Judging from their stances, they weren't martially trained. Though he was about to find out how much that actually helped. They were in a game after all. The buzzer sounded and the Undine rushed forward, unleashing a flurry of quick thrusts. Zekken however, was very nimble, dodging and parrying all of her blows. On one of her sidesteps she leaves herself exposed, a confident smile on her lips as the Undines sword extends towards her. Zekken parried at a distance Darien was sure should've gotten her. She was fast. Another clash of blades followed.

The blue haired woman thrust again, but over extended her attack and the imp ducked inside of her guard. The woman backpedaled, scrambling to dodge. Zekkens sword lashed out and grazed the woman's chest as she backflipped out of range. An attack like that wouldn't have caused much damage, was Zekken just playing around? The imp had also overswung the blow, her sword kept going instead of resting in a guard position. So, it seemed that you were faster and stronger in the game than you were in real life, which included combat. It made sense, if they could make you fast enough to not know proper sword fighting techniques than you wouldn't have to learn, you could just play. However, if you did know sword fighting, then that made you just that little bit faster.

The theory stood up too, as earlier he ran much faster and for longer than he ever could in the real world. In terms of speed and strength, however, it looked like Zekken was on a whole different level. Which meant, in order to beat her, you had to compensate your timing to match her speed. Which took a lot of experience and skill to pull off. This was proving to be very good information, he had been trying to stick to his grounded rules of fighting while in a world where those rules didn't matter as much as he believed. Now he had the opportunity to change his fighting style to something completely his own like the two duellists had done.

The blue haired woman was panting, but smiled, though it seemed a bit nervous. Doubt seemed to flicker across her face for a moment and she looked over to the ring of spectators. Darien couldn't see who she was looking at but she seemed to be thinking about something. Then she closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She changed her stance, her left leg taking the lead and she held the sword higher, parallel with the ground. Her mood seemed to change as she opened her eyes, Darien could feel the tension around her building. Zekken felt it too, her shoulders stiffened and she prepared to meet the coming attack with her own. They rushed each other, swords clashing in the middle and the Undine forced Zekken back. Their blades rung like a bell. A strong gust of wind rolled outward from the impact and the scene resonated with Darien, a rush flooded through him as he balled his hands into fists.

A smile curved his lips. "That's more like it." He muttered, his eyes locked on the spectacle unfolding before him. His tail flicked from side to side and his ears were pointed forward, though he wasn't conscious of either of those things happening. The two exchanged a flurry of blows, moving from one spot to the next in an impressive display of speedy footwork. The Undine pressured Zekken, taking advantage of her rapier class weapon with several high thrusts and speedy parries. The imp spun, her sword glowing a deep purple as she unleashed a powerful sword skill. Her opponent blocked, catching the swing with her sword as the shock wave of force traveled along the ground, sending dust and dirt flying. The woman countered by carrying the momentum around and activating her own sword skill which she hit the imp with point blank. Sending up another cloud.

The fury of the blows sent a gasp from the crowd as another rush of wind blew around them. The clash of steel on steel was music to his ears. The Undine didn't relent, leaping into the air and slamming her blade down. Zekken blocked with a high horizontal guard and pushed her back. Their blades met once more as the imps counter was blocked. They raced ran sideways, lashing out at each other as they did. Both caught glancing blows from the other before their swords kissed in a bind, the two duelists pressing against the each other. The Undine used her free hand to punch her opponent in the stomach in a surprise attack, forcing her back and out of the bind. Then activated another sword skill.

Just as the blow was about to land, Zekken recovered and managed to block the attack with lightning like reflexes. Though he couldn't see the attack, he counted four consecutive blocks. _That's…_ The air left him in a gasp. He wanted to say it was impossible and yet he just saw it happen. It made the fight all the more interesting as the imp charged with her blade glowing yet again. Though this time the Undine couldn't react, frozen by the sword skill delay. Darien saw all five of the purple womans thrusts land, hitting from top left to bottom right. Zekkens opponent, however, didn't relent. Grounding her feet, she charged her sword again. Both combatants received five consecutive thrusts from the other.

However, as the smoke cleared from their clash, Zekkens sword was still going. The sword skill hadn't ended yet. _That's the Eleven Hit Combo_! Darien sucked in a breath as the blow struck home with a flash of light, rocking the area with a loud _boom _and another shockwave. The gust of which made Darien take a step back and raise an arm to brace himself against the wind. When he lowered his arm and opened his eyes, he saw that Zekken had stopped the blade, which one have been the eleventh and most likely final thrust. The Undine had been just as stunned as he was as her opponent straightened and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That was great. I pick you miss." She said simply.

"Um, what about the duel?" The Undine replied, looking a little confused and shocked. A valid question, but if Darien had seen through this gauntlet correctly, the duel didn't need to continue. Zekken appeared to be satisfied with their duel and that's probably all that mattered. Besides, had the last blow landed, the duel would've been over anyway.

"Fighting this much is enough for me. Do you want to go all the way?" The Undine shook her head. "I was looking for someone who seemed just right. And I finally found them." Zekken explained and sheathed her sword. Then held out her hand. Her opponent put her blade in its sheath and took her hand. They shook, then Zekken did something Darien hadn't been expecting. She summoned her wings and began to pull, lifting the Undine off the ground and flying away with her looking back. The woman looked unsure of what to do as her friends called out to her in confusion.

"Asuna, huh?" Darien said to himself. _Thank you, for such an exciting duel._

"Looks like you missed your chance to fight against the best this game has to offer." Lindelle said, watching the two fly into the distance.

"Doesn't matter. I learned a lot just by watching, besides, I might be able to talk her into a duel in the future. I need to get better first."

"Oh?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, was just expecting you to say something else." Lindelle said and turned to look around the dueling circle. Most of the people were starting to disperse, wasn't much point in sticking around. "If the Berzerk Healer was here, maybe her friend is too."

"Berzerk Healer?"

"The Undine that fought with Zekken, she was talked about for a while too. Though, once Zekken showed up her name dropped off the map for a while. Let's see… Ah, there she is!" She said, walking towards a small group of four. "Come on." Darien followed, curious, how did Lindelle know these people and the Berzerk Healer in particular? Was it similar to how the two of them had met, through random chance? Or was it something more common? Granted word got around and people forged alliances and made friends from other factions, but this group seemed pretty diverse. What brought them all together he wondered.

"Hi guys." She called as they drew closer. They turned, one of them smiled and called back.

"Hey Lindelle, if you've come all the way here to find me I'm guessing you have all the materials?" She asked, _so this was the craftswoman Lindelle had mentioned. _She wore a red outfit with gold lining along with a white breastplate, left pauldron, and a belt that had a drape which covered the sides of her legs. Her hair was a light pink where her eyes were a darker color that he couldn't quite make out. _Well, she's cute if nothing else,_ Darien thought, _the outfit suits her._

"Yes and no." Lindelle said. "I do have the materials. I didn't know you'd be here, but when I saw Asuna fighting I thought you might be around."

"Ah, I see. Anyway, who's that you've got with you?" She asked, looking at Darien.

"Yes. I was getting to that. Lisbeth, this is Darien. Darien, that's Lisbeth, Kirito, Silica and Leafa." She said, pointing to everyone in turn. Darien was pretty sure Kirito was a Spriggan, black hair, dark eyes and a black coat with white trim. He also carried a sword over his shoulder, he didn't look very imposing, though that might be the point. Silica was the shortest among them, a Cait Sith like him. Though she had tamed a small dragon creature which was draped across her light brown hair. Her eyes were a clear red color and her outfit was dark blue with a lighter blue color for her breast plate.

Leafa was easily another Sylph. Displaying their usual white and green colors, along with some golden trim. Unlike her companions, she didn't wear a breastplate and seemed to prefer lighter equipment. Though both Lisbeths and Leafas boots looked similar, he wondered if they were both made by the same person. As he quickly scanned the group over, he could feel the same being done to him. The whole process didn't take very long. _Three pretty girls and an unassuming but slightly feminine looking guy, pretty diverse group as far as races go._

"Nice to meet you all." Darien said finally with a small smile, his tongue felt a little dry and his muscles locked up. Though he kept it from showing on his face, he hated first impressions and talking to people for the first time was never his strong suit.

"So, if you brought him all the way here… Did you want to fight Zekken?" Leafa asked him. He shrugged in response.

"Not really, I just wanted to see what PvP looked like on a few levels above me. Though if I got the chance I wouldn't pass it up."

"Oh? Does that mean you think you could beat her?" Lisbeth asked, she seemed genuinely curious.

"Maybe, though I'd have to watch her fight a few more times first."

"Why's that?"

"Well, she's fast and strong. But I can tell she's never been trained to wield a sword so if given time I could learn to compensate for her strength and speed."

"You've been trained with a sword?" She asked doubtfully, to which he simply replied with a smile. She didn't have to believe him, even with training, he still wasn't sure he could win. To beat someone who's faster and stronger than you, you have to be skilled enough to level the playing field. However the mount of skill required is exponential even for slightly stronger or faster, so there was such a thing as too strong or too fast.

"Anyway, Lisbeth, can we take this to your shop? I have to get off to go to work soon." Lindelle said. Lisbeth turned her attention back to the Sylph and nodded with a smile.

"Sure, we'll head to my shop and get your gear made. I'm sure Asuna will contact us soon." With that and everyone summoned their wings and leapt into the air, with Lisbeth and Lindelle leading the way towards the shop of the pink haired blacksmith.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

With the town teleporters in Aincrad, it didn't take long to reach Lisbeth's shop. From the front it looked inviting, open. Made of warm wood but here and there he could see metal support lining the structure, giving the place a solid and unique appearance. Five wide wooden steps lead to the porch that overlooked the street. Beams around the porches rail supported the small roof above. Attached to that was a sign, depicting an armored knight. Darien could also spot a chimney stack jutting out of the building's roof. Ascending the stairs, Lisbeth opened the door and a small bell chimed.

One by one, they made their way inside. As he moved past her into the doorway he caught a small whiff of her perfume. It was just the barest hint of vanilla. Pleasant but not overpowering. Moving inside there were many display cases and wall racks, displaying merchandise and their prices. Just by looking at them he could tell they were all high level, high quality items. _Wow… If I could make stuff like that._ The possibilities were endless and seeing all of the gear really made him want to pursue this idea of becoming a smith.

"I know you're new, but I don't think Lisbeths ego can take any more stroking." Lindelle said, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked back, everyone had varying degrees of amused and curious expressions on their face, save Lisbeths who's was smug.

"At least he recognizes talent." She said, her chest swelling with pride.

"Just hope he doesn't break one of your swords." Kirito remarked though there seemed to be more behind that statement because the blacksmith deflated.

"Shut up, Kirito!" She glared daggers at him while both he, Leafa, and Silica laughed. Darien smiled, thankful for the shift in attention. He still didn't know what to think of this group yet, but they seemed like good people. He wouldn't mind getting to know them a bit better, maybe even being friends. After all, that was part of the reason he was here, wasn't it?

"Anyway Lisbeth, shouldn't we get started?"

"Oh right. Is your friend coming along?" Dariens eyes moved to Lindelle, she shrugged.

"It was part of the deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

"I'll tell you when we get started." She said simply and Lisbeth nodded, leading them towards the large store counter. Lifting the hatch in the wooden section they made their way down a hallway. Along the way, Darien saw stairs leading upwards. That was probably the living area of the house with a bedroom and a kitchen or something similar. This back part of the shop was lined with stone and metal, probably to keep anything from catching on fire. There were also weapon designs and various implements scattered in organized chaos all over the room. There was a large anvil in the center and a furnace behind that with enough room in between for one, maybe two people.

Lindelle opened a window and selected a number of icons while a second window appeared in front of Lisbeth. Since he helped farm the materials, he knew what a few of them where. He was interested to see just how much would be crafted.

"So a full set of light metal armor, a longsword and a buckler, correct?" Lisbeth asked and the Sylph nodded.

"Also, could you give a rundown of how all of this works for Darien? He's thinking of taking of smithing." The Blacksmith turned her attention toward him and he returned the gaze. After a few moments, Lisbeth turned to Lindelle and asked.

"I'm guessing this is also part of the deal?" She simply nodded and the pink haired woman sighed. "Just don't go giving out any of my secrets."

"Well I wouldn't know if you do anything different because this will be the first time I see a player crafting something." He explained.

"Then don't go using my methods at public crafting stations."

"What do you mean?"

"Lisbeth is well known because she has tinkered with the system enough to have an idea of what materials she needs to make an item the way you want it. The normal smithing part is fundamentally the same but not many people are allowed back here." It didn't take much for Darien to put two and two together. If he used her techniques at a public forge then everyone would be able to see it and she'd lose business. Her abilities wouldn't be unique anymore. In other words…

"You're taking a risk bringing me in here." He thought aloud. "Why?"

"Because Lindelle trusts you and her business is important to me. I'm not the only one that can influence the system, but I've put the most time into it. I don't want my competitors getting a leg up. If you want to work on smithing just come by the shop and ask. I'll let you use the forge for a little while. That way you can practice and you won't go around giving people new ideas." She said simply, taking out some of the metals Lindelle had brought. That brought another question to mind and his attention flicked over to Lindelle. _Why is she so important? And to who? _He wondered.

"The first part of crafting is selecting the materials you're going to use and making them into an ingot if they aren't already one." Lisbeth explained, grabbing three metals and splitting them up into varying quantity then placing them into a furnace. While they heated, she grabbed a scroll from the bench and rolled it out across the anvil. Darien realized it was a weapon pattern. The scroll itself was a dark brown, almost leather looking while the weapon outline was drawn out of something that looked similar to chalk. It took the appearance of a simple and elegant longsword, with a slightly longer handle and a small circle on the end of the pommel. "These were implemented in one of the newer patches; they help influence the shape and appearance of a weapon. Though the system doesn't always follow it, they are very useful. The pattern is usually used up when the item is created which is why you should write down the schematics."

Turning, she brought the ingot from the furnace and placed it on the brown parchment. She pressed a few buttons on a popup window and then raised her hammer.

"Then you select the weapon type through a window before you begin forging." She continued, hitting the metal with a firm _tink. _"You have to hit the metal a certain number of times before it takes the form of the weapon type." _Tink, tink, tink, tink._ "The weapons strength is also based on how many times the metal is struck." _Tink, tink, tink, tink, tink._ He could see the sweat dripping off Lisbeths brow as she focused on her work. "On average, player created weapons are stronger than weapons dropped by monsters." _Tink, tink, tink tink._ The ingot began to glow and lengthen when Lisbeth lifted her hammer. "When you're done, the system assigns the weapons appearance, stats, and name." She finished, whipping her forehead.

The heated metal lengthened into a fully fledged blade. The blade was a pale blue color and tapered down to a triangular point. It gleamed with a wicked edge and the blue became more saturated as it ran down the length of the blade. The cross guard was long and silver, made of coiled metal with small upward facing spikes toward the tip. The handle was also twisted silver before ending with a jeweled pommel. The crystal itself was dim so Darien couldn't quite pick out the color. Lisbeth wrapped the handle in white dyed leather with a blue trim and handed Lindelle the weapon. The Sylph took it, giving it a few test swings as it left blue like contrails and smiled.

"It's perfect." She said and Darien once again saw the Blacksmiths eyes sparkle with pride. It continued like that for a while as she made a set of armor and a shield. Darien just watched, transfixed by the whole process as the pieces came together. Once it was completed, Lisbeth offered to let Lindelle change into her new armor upstairs. To which she agreed. While she was gone the blacksmith leaned back against the work bench.

"She always orders in bulk, nearly kills me every time." She said softly, shaking her head. With shaky hands she whipped the sweat from her brow again and turned to Darien. "So what was this deal you guys had anyway?"

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too." Silica added.

"It's hard to believe she would have even made a deal with a new player." Leafa agreed. He looked over in her direction and all three of them were staring at him, waiting for an explanation.

"What do you mean? Is she someone important?" He asked.

"You mean she didn't tell you?" Darien shook his head and Leafa sighed. "She's one of Sakuyas personal bodyguards." He blinked, and then it all started to make sense. All this farming for a full set of gear she needed right away. These high grade materials and asking for help from someone who had no outside affiliation. That's also why the Salamanders were stalking her and maybe that's how they found out about the materials she had. Taking out one of the rival lords bodyguards and getting a good deal of loot for it? That's probably something to brag about. She must be expecting trouble to get all those mats together on what he guessed was a short notice. That also explained why Lisbeth was willing to go through such lengths to keep her business.

"Oh…" He said. _Yeah, eloquence, that's my middle name. What stunning piece of knowledge are you going to impart on them next? _"Well… I mean, all I did was help her in a group pvp. She was being attacked so I gave her some back up."

"In starter gear?" Kirito asked. Darien nodded.

"Against Salamanders?" Silica questioned another nod.

"How many?"

"Five. Previously eight. I just got the drop on them." Darien supplied, though now he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep talking. He wasn't that great, after all, she did most of the work. He just surprised them.

"Well that explains a lot." Leafa said, nodding to herself.

"I don't see how. Like I said, it was mostly surprise on my part. After that she did most of the work."

"Even then, Lindelle repays debts. That's part of who she is."

"So in exchange you asked to be tutored?" Lisbeth asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Not exactly." Lindelle said as she walked into the room. "But close enough. You know most of it now."

"Somehow I don't believe you." Lisbeth replied with a grin, Darien turned to look at Lindelle's new set. He had to struggle to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. She still wore her green clothes under the armor, but now she had a full chest plate and shoulder pauldrons, with smaller pauldrons covering her upper arms. Her arms were protected by bracers and full gauntlets. Cloth flared out around her hips in a long skirt with the middle and back cut out of them. The cloth was green, trimmed in gold while two large oval pieces of metal on the cloth protected her outer thighs. Her legs were wrapped in leather, while her shins and boots were covered by more metal. The metal itself was silver, with an elegant gold design. Her sword hung at her hip, sheathed in a brown and gold scabbard. Her shield was clipped on just above the blade, sporting a very similar design to her armor.

The craftsmanship was incredible. Darien secretly wished he was a fan of having that much metal, if he was he would kill for a suit like that.

"Good work as always Lisbeth, you can use the old gear as materials." The pink haired blacksmith nodded and Lindelle looked towards everyone else. "Alright, well I need to go to work. I'll see you guys around some other time." With that she turned and opened the player window. Darien stifled his desire to ask to friend her and instead just watched her fade out of the store.

"I think I'm going to log off too guys. I need to go make some food. I've been playing for a while." Darien said, opening his own window and hit the log out button. He left determined that the next time they met; he would friend one of them. The moment he opened his eyes his stomach cramped and growled. Sighing he took the Amusphere off his head and placed it on the nightstand beside his bed and sat up. Rubbing his eyes he opened the blinds in his room to let in some of the late noon sunlight. His attention wandered to his desk where a single white envelope lay.

Making his way over, he picked up the letter. It was slightly crinkled from the trip but it still looked pretty new, though unopened. Turning it over, it read. To: Darien, From: Rachel. He felt a sharp dagger dig in his chest. Biting his lip he placed the letter in the top drawer of his desk and tried to put it out of his mind. He instead focused on something else. After a trip across the hall to the bathroom he looked around. To his right was his parents room, they were probably sleeping right now. Trying to recover from jet lag. Making his way to the kitchen he decided just to make a sandwich with plenty of salad dressing. It took him a minute to recognize some of the packages but the transition from English to Japanese wasn't too bad.

He grabbed a bag of chips and sat at the kitchen table, before he could start eating however, his mom came into the kitchen. Turning he saw she had dark bags under her eyes and was in her pajamas. She rooted around the fridge and pulled out something that looked similar to iced coffee.

"Trying to fight sleep?" He guessed, she nodded.

"Have to adjust to the time zone, your dad didn't make it though."

"Figures." Darien said, they both smiled.

"Just make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight. You're going to need it."

"Why?"

"Tomorrow is your entrance exam into high school. It was hard to get you in during the middle of a semester, but there was one willing and it's not too far from here. Gotta love the foreign exchange program, but you have to pass the exam." _Ugh, of course, how could I forget? You have to do exams to get into high school in japan. _

"What time do I have to be up?"

"Probably around five or six." She said, before coming over and giving him a hug. "I know you'll do fine." Then she wandered back into the bedroom with a yawn. Darien continued to eat his sandwich, though it didn't taste as good now. His stomach was doing little flips at the thought of a test determining his ability to get into high school. He grabbed a training sword and went outside. Making his way to the small back yard they had he did some simple weapon drills to calm his nerves. It also allowed him to think more clearly while he was busy doing repetition. Having a good idea of what he'd be tested on, the usual: math, science and reading. He started going through the formulas he remembered. It went on like that for two hours.

By then the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. Heading inside he made another sandwich and took a shower. It didn't take him long to drift off to sleep after that. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it's been so long since I released a chapter, I've been caught up with work and other projects lately. So I just recently came into some time where I could sit down in a quiet room and write. I hope you all enjoy, I'll hopefully be able to get back onto a stable writing schedule and get these out more often. I have no intention of abandoning the story.

**Chapter VI**

Darien awoke with the familiar feeling of a tiny, gentle hand running through his hair as he slept. A nurturing, peaceful gesture that soothed him. The next thing he felt was the fabric beneath his hands and the slight drool that slid between his fingers. His muscles ached with stiffness as he straightened, his eyes falling on the girl on the bed. She was dawned in sterile white, her features slightly sunken and pale. The girl had lost most of her muscle tone since being kept in the bed, along with much of her hair due to her treatment. The only thing that remained the same was her bright, blue eyes. Those eyes always held the same sparkle, no matter how bad things got. The familiar beep of the heart monitor echoed through the near featureless hospital room, but the two barely noticed the noise anymore.

"Rachel…" He said in a bare whisper, relieved to see her awake. She gave him a ghostly smile.

"Hey," She said. "You stay all night again?" The young man nodded, giving a small grin that he didn't quite feel.

"Sure did."

"But your school work."

"I'm ahead for the week, finals won't be happening until the week after. I'm not missing much."

"Your assignments-" She started but he cut her off.

"Are already done, I talked the teachers into giving them to me early so I could be here."

"You mean you guilt tripped them." She said, her eyes narrowing on him. He shrugged.

"Call it what you want. Point is, it's nothing to worry about." She rolled her eyes, hand reaching out to cup his cheek.

"You're a pain, you know that? You worry too much" His heart skipped a beat as Darien gritted his teeth. How could he not worry? What was he supposed to do when- "I'll be fine Darien because while you're here I can get through anything. Remember what you used to say when we were kids?" He let out a slow breath, nodding. He remembered, all too well.

"What'd they say about this new treatment, is it working?" He asked, looking back up at her. She shrugs, sighing.

"They say the first results looked promising. If so I should show signs of improvement in a couple days." His heart skipped a beat and he stood up from the chair and took a step closer.

"Hey, that's great news right?" The girl gave him a somber look.

"I just don't want you getting your hopes up and yelling at the doctors again."

"Hey that was just one time and-" He stopped, closely examining her face.

"What?"

"There's something…" He trailed off. There was a black spot on her face, something that hadn't been there a moment before.

"Well get it off!" She said sharply, flinching a little.

"I would if you'd hold still." He complained, brushing his thumb across the spot. It grew… Showing spots of grey, he rubbed it a second time and again it grew. Then her skin cracked, split open like broken glass and fell to reveal dead and decaying flesh underneath. He jerked his head back but one of the girl's arms lashed out, grabbing him by the throat. He struggled as the bones of her fingertips bit into the sides of his neck, her grip like ice, cold and solid. Darien gave a strangled cry for air as her touch seemed to freeze him in place. Unable to move he could only watch the thing rise, more and more flesh falling off and shattering on the floor.

"What's wrong Darien? I thought we were having a nice little chat, now you want to run away?" The creature asked, disconnecting itself from the heart monitor. The machine let out its siren like wail as the young man's eyes darted to the room's open door. Hoping that someone would be able to help him. Only to see that the hospital was completely empty and mostly destroyed, like the place had been abandoned for decades. The flat lining rang in his ears and his lungs were on fire. The thing let out a husky laugh that sounded like a few dozen plastic bags being crushed in a compacter.

"_You_… you did this to me, and now… you, die!" The monster said, closing in with its skeleton like jaws. He closed his eyes and tried to scream as the decaying teeth sank into his collarbone. Red flooded his vision as pain flared in his mind.

In the next moment he was bolting up right in his bed, throwing the covers off him as he gave a sharp gasp of pain, his hand shooting to where he had been bitten. Nothing. It was a dream. He panted, his body covered in a cold sweat as he buried his face in his hands. Leaning over the bed he breathed deeply until his heart rate was back in the double digits and he could think straight._ That dream again, _he thought, the tension of his spine slowly easing, _it's getting worse every time. _His eyes went over to the clock on his desk. He had nearly two hours before he was even supposed to be awake. He briefly debated trying to go back to sleep but instantly disregarded the thought. He was too shaken and even if he could sleep soundly, going back to sleep at this point would make it even harder to wake up.

His eyes slowly slid to the Amusphere resting near his bed. That could work; being somewhere else might actually help. Placing it on his head he put up a few pillows and leaned against the wall. He called out two simple words and dove into the world of ALfheim. He found himself standing in the middle of a street. It took him a moment to remember where he was, right outside of Lisbeths shop. It made sense, he had logged out inside the shop, so when he logged back in he was transported outside. For a few moments he simply stood there, breathing in the fresh air of the fantasy world, his tail swishing contently.

Slowly he turned, his boots clunking on the wood as he ascended the stairs. He took a seat on one of the few chairs overlooking the street and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. This was… peaceful, the sun had just risen over the buildings, bathing the world in a warm light. Clouds of various sizes patterned the sky. Darien relaxed, breathing deeply and slowly as his eyes lost themselves in the clouds above. Then there was the chime of a bell, his ears turning towards the noise and drawing his attention. Lisbeth had just opened the door and stopped mid-step as her eyes met his.

"Oh uuh… Lisbeth, hi. I didn't know you'd be here." The Cait Sith said, the Blacksmith simply raised an eyebrow and stepped outside, closing the door.

"Well this is my shop, why wouldn't I be here?"

"Wait that came out wrong, I didn't know you'd be online right now."

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes. I mean, no! I just… ugh." He shook his head. This is why he generally avoided talking to people unless he was prepared for it. Let alone talking to girls. Otherwise he just shut down and sounded like an idiot. The pink haired woman frowned and said.

"Well, if it's a problem, I'll just go-"

"No!" He snapped, his heart nearly leapt into his throat and the girl that had been in mid turn froze. She looked back at him expectantly, the knuckles on his hands whitened as he gripped the arms of the chair. "No…" He repeated softly, meeting her gaze. "I could… use someone to talk to." He continued, "Just for a few minutes, I won't take up too much of your time. I know you're probably busy and…" He trailed off. Darien _had_ anticipated on being alone, but that didn't mean he wanted to be. She held his eyes with hers for a long while. Seconds passed, though they felt like hours to him. Just about when he was going to tell her just to forget everything he said. Something flicked across her eyes, an emotion he didn't instantly recognize, before her features softened and she walked forward.

Lisbeth took the chair next to him and searched over his features for a moment. The intensity behind those eyes caused warmth to slowly spread in his chest. He just barely kept the heat from reaching his face. She was definitely thinking something, he just didn't know what. After a bit of tension it was she who broke the silence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked; he slowly let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"I just… would like some company, that's all. I have a lot on my mind."

"Is that why you were sitting out here?"

"No, like I said, I hadn't expected you to be here. I just logged on a few minutes ago."

"So, why are you here?" This was slowly starting to feel like an interrogation.

"I just," He trailed off, shaking his head again, trying to order his thoughts. "I don't know. I woke up too early this morning. So I logged on and your shop just happened to have a few chairs to sit on. So I took a seat."

"And the reason you woke up early is…" She was the one to trail off this time, leaving him to fill in the blank. While he was certainly not going to tell her he had a bad dream.

"Can I elect not to talk about it?" Darien asked, she made a thoughtful noise. Her lips slowly spreading into a wry grin, it was a mischievous motion, one that she pulled off quite well. "What?" He prompted.

"Well you told me you wanted to talk and so far you've just been avoiding the topic of talking. So now I have to wonder did you really have something to talk about or was it all a clever ploy to get me out here and talk to you?" That actually drew a small chuckle from him, which he really needed.

"Trust me, I'm not that clever. That would be giving me way too much credit. I just wanted some company, that's all."

"So then why did you want my company in particular? I'm sure there are other people on." Darien looked down at his hands and he tried to think of a reason. The only one he could come up with was.

"Well, I was hoping. More like wondering if we could be…" He trailed off, his hands rubbing together. Then a window popped open in front of him. Player Lisbeth would like to be Friends. Accept. Decline. He looked over at her and she gave him a warm smile. Darien accepted the request and rubbed his face.

"Sorry, for being so awkward." He said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. It happens; you said you had a lot on your mind. What's there besides you waking up early?" He knew he probably shouldn't talk about real life things on the game; it was impolite to do so most of the time. But, he really didn't mind. At least not right now.

"Well, I'm transferring to a new school. I guess that's got me a bit nervous."

"That'll do it." She says, "They let you transfer in the middle of the semester though?"

"Yeah, mine was a unique case. Though I still have to pass the exam that's being held today." Darien said, looking up at her.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck then." The Blacksmith flashed him a warm smile, which he returned.

"Thanks." He said simply, his eyes moving to the console which he left open. He clicked his tongue in disappointment as he saw most of his time was used up. "Speaking of which, I should probably get going." Darien stood and took a couple steps closer, extending his hand. "Seriously, thanks."

She looked surprised for a moment but smiled as she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "No problem. Next time, just knock." Lisbeth said and he could faintly detect teasing in her tone.

"I will." He promised, opening the menu, his finger hovering over the log out button when Lisbeth spoke again.

"And Darien," He looked at her, a curious expression on her face. "I'm sure you'll do fine on the exam." Another flash of heat sparked in his chest and he nodded with a smile; then pressed the button. Light flooded his vision as he was taken out of the game.

Slowly opening his eyes Darien raised his arms in a stretch. He carefully slid the device from his head and placed it back where it belonged. The young man sprung from bed like a coiled spring, grabbed the school uniform, he made his way to the bathroom. His hair was combed, teeth brushed, and uniform on in just a few minutes. He was just straightening the tie when his mom made her way from the bedroom, already dressed in dark jeans and a dark brown coat. She gave him a warm smile.

"You look so handsome in your uniform." He rolled his eyes; moms had to say things like that. Still, he didn't mind the compliment.

"Thanks. Can we go?" He asked, making his way to the door, his mom following close behind him. He heard the jingle of keys as she brought them out of her pocket. It took him a second to remember that the passenger seat was on the opposite side of the car than he was used to. Looking into the distance he could see the clear defining line of the sun slowly rising over the horizon. It looked like it was going to be a clear day. His first real day of Japan, he got into the car as the engine turned over. Even though it had happened only minutes ago, he kept going back to his talk with Lisbeth in his head. A faint tingling on his right hand where they had shook.

"So you played that game a while last night, meet any cute girls?" His mom asked him over the faint music that was playing in the car, he couldn't help but smile.

"Just made a friend, that's all."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

The car came to a stop in front of his new school, him and his mother exchanged looks. He swallowed, steeling himself; letting out a slow breath. She looked like she wanted to say something but after a moment's hesitation she shook her head.

"Good luck son. I probably won't be back by the time you get done so be safe when you're walking home." Darien nodded, opening the door and stepped out of the car. The crisp air ran cool fingertips across his face as he waved goodbye to his mother. He turned and walked up to one of the gates, taking a moment to look around. The gates were wide enough to let maybe up to six people side by side comfortably and there were two of them. A concrete barrier ran around the length of the school, these looked to be the only entrance, though there might be one in the back for faculty parking. The buildings were tall, stair cases zigzagged down their length, indicating multiple floors.

The sharp _clicks_ of steps on pavement drew his attention down to a man who was making his way over. He wore a dark blue suit with a black tie, white cuffs, his hair was cut short and had the barest amount of scruff around his jaw and chin. His dark hair was swept to the sides of his face, out of his eyes which were hidden behind a pair of half-rimmed rectangular glasses. With a strong jaw line and hawkish nose he looked like one of your typical high school teachers that female students gossiped about. He drew up to a few strides away from Darien and smiled before giving a bow at the waist. At first, Darien drew a blank before remembering the customs and returned the bow. The two men, young and old, straightened before the eldest smiled once again.

"I believe you are Asher-kun?" He asked, which gave Darien a moment's pause. Then he remembered that most people were on a last name basis in the Japanese culture, unless you were friends, related or something more intimate. So the young man simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. The familiar feeling of nervousness fluttered around his stomach, this was his first interaction with a Japanese person outside of a game or a quick run to the store. His weight shifted from one foot to the other and his jaw tightened. Being out of his element was always so odd and he hated it.

"It's nice to meet you. You may call me Akiyama-sensei, please, follow me to the classroom." The man turned and started walking away, leaving Darien to finally uproot himself and hurry a little to catch up to him. As they walked through the paved pathways he couldn't help but feel small. This high school felt nothing like the ones back home. It was much too large, too grand, he found himself painstakingly memorizing where they walked. Standing out from everyone else at the school would be bad enough, it would be even worse if he got lost. The gears in his head were spinning faster and faster. _Okay, stop!_ He commanded himself, nearly stopping in his tracks. After he took a breath, he kept moving, but it was enough to get his thoughts in order. _I can wait to think about all of those things _after_ I pass this test._

After what seemed like forever, they walked into a building near the rear section of the school, down a hall and into a classroom that was more like the ones that he was used to. Simple chairs attached to simple desks with a larger desk at the front with a large board behind it. Windows lined one side of the room and near the back was a shelf that housed a number of tablets that he presumed was for school work. On the walls were various blank boards but Darien couldn't think what those would be for.

"Please, take a seat." The man said, gesturing towards a desk with a tablet already resting on it. With a nod, he stiffly made his way to the desk and sat down; the chair's slight creek mimicked the sound he thought his bones were making. Akiyama moved to the teacher's desk and sat down in the more comfortable chair that did not creek and gave an encouraging smile. "Don't be nervous Asher-kun, I'm sure with your scores you have nothing to worry about." With a deep breath Darien sighed.

"Thanks, I hope so."

"When you're ready you may begin, when you're done just bring the tablet up to me." With that, for the next two, maybe three hours, he was tested on every subject known to man. Had to calculate the terminal velocity for a piece of ice plummeting from a hundred thousand feet and provide a diagram of what would happen if some insects were removed from food chains. Okay, maybe it wasn't _that_ bad, but it sure felt like it. When he was finished he let out a long, slow breath, got up and made the mile long walk to Akiyamas desk. After an eternity which couldn't possibly have been the few minutes it took the older gentleman to log into the tablet with his ID and look over the answer sheet, the man turned to him.

"Very good, almost perfect, could use some work in history and science but other than that, you pass." Darien clenched his hands into fists and gave a loud mental cheer, a smug grin spreading across his face. It hadn't been that bad after all and now that it was over he had to wonder what had him so nervous in the first place. _Alright! Now I can go home and-_

The metallic click of a door opening brought his thoughts to a screeching halt. He turned to see a girl there, around his age he guessed. She wore glasses with oval lenses; two sections of her dark hair were bound and dangled beside her round cheeks. Like himself, she wore a uniform, identifying her as a student. Her dark eyes went from him to the teacher and he could only assume she had been assessing him in much the same way, then he noticed that she was holding a tablet of her own.

"Ah Shino-san, it's good to see you. Can I help you with something?" She nodded, but then turned her gaze back to Darien.

"Yes, but it can wait if I'm interrupting something."

"Of course, where are my manners? Shino Asada, this is Asher Darien, a new student here." Shino responded by giving a small bow to him.

"A pleasure." She said her voice collected and calm.

"Y-yeah, same here." He replied, giving a bow of his own, which felt really weird. Was this really something he'd have to be doing all the time?

"So what can I do for you?" Akiyama asked.

"Yes, I was just some clarification about the work you assigned over the break. I called ahead and the office said you'd be in today." Darien took a few steps back and zoned out of their conversation._ A classmate…_ He thought to himself, _someone else I'll likely have nothing to do with. I may be able to make a virtual world friend, but here I'm still a loner, oh well. It's not like I've had many people to hang out with in the real world anyway. Not much has changed; different place, different culture, but people are still the same._

"Asher-kun." The teacher said, tearing Darien from his thoughts. He turned to look at the man, eyebrows lifted. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Oh, no, sorry."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen during class," He sighed, "I have a meeting I have to attend to so I asked Shino-san to give you a tour of the grounds. Is that alright?" The young man stiffened and looked over to the girl in question. Which didn't really help, her face was expressionless, leaving him with little to go on. If she didn't want to he wouldn't make her but it sounded like she had already agreed.

"Sounds fine to me." He says after taking a moment to choose his words carefully. Shino sighed but Akiyama seemed pleased, he stood up and clapped his hands together.

"It's settled then, I expect you to be able to find your way back here by the time fall break ends, Asher-kun." Darien sighed, placing a hand on his hip and simply nodding. He was just ready to get out of this room. The two of them followed their teacher out of the classroom, back down the hall and gave him a goodbye bow. Which he still felt was a little awkward, wouldn't a wave be fine? After Akiyama was gone he turned to Shino.

"So, where to first?"

"Just follow me." She replies and turns, walking across the path to the next building. _Cold,_ Darien thought with a small smile. Nevertheless he caught up to her in a few strides as she began the painstaking task of showing him around. He had seriously underestimated the scale of this place! It was more like a university campus than a high school! It had everything, a gym full of equipment, several clubs including but not limited to: Kendo, Judo, Karate, Volleyball, Basketball, Baseball, Swimming, and Gymnastics. Including a large field to practice the sports and in-door facilities in case of bad weather, each building was dedicated to a subject or area of study. With the floors more or less representing class levels, with senior classes being on the top floor, save a few specific exceptions.

To her credit, Shino had been invaluable. The more they walked and the more questions he asked; the less cold and more approachable she seemed to be. _Maybe she's a bit like me,_ he thought,_ someone who's alone but not necessarily by choice. At least, not entirely._ They started drawing closer to the front gate of the school as the sun started to dip into the early afternoon. He had to wonder how long this tour had taken.

"This place really is huge," Darien found himself saying aloud. "Thanks for your help Shino-san."

"Don't worry about it, this place isn't hard to navigate once you get used to it." She said, giving him a small reassuring smile, which he returned. _Maybe we could be friends,_ he found himself thinking.

"Hey…" He began and she turned, giving him I puzzled look. "I was thinking that-" The sound of footsteps cut him off and he looked up to see three girls. Shino saw them a moment later and he saw her tense up. She knew them… He examined them more closely. The one to the right was a sunken creature; she looked like she had walked right off the set of a Rob Zombie movie. Then again, that might be too much of a compliment. Her hair fell in thin strands about her and she looked a few shades paler than a person should be. The one to the left was opposite; chubby with big round cheeks he swore she was puffing out and was wearing a bit of makeup which looked to be slightly smeared.

They both seemed the lackey type and took orders from the one in front. Their leader had a waspish chin with glossy lips and primly plucked eyebrows and a squished nose. A bit of a mix of the two with an insect twist, the three of them seemed like a prime example of something he liked to call a bitch-squad. Though in this case it would be a trio but squad rolled off the tongue better. All three wore casual pants and long sleeve shirts. They also all had expressions of anger or indignation.

"Hey, hey Asada, long time no see." The one in front called, her words sounded slightly slurred with a clear condescending tone. "Did you finally make yourself a friend?"

"Endou-san," Shino replied calmly. "What are you doing here?"

"That's mean Asada, I asked you first. But I don't know why, it's not like anyone would be friends with you once they know what you've done." Darien narrowed his eyes, _oh bitch did not just say that. _She reached into her purse and pulled out a gun, pointed it at Shino he tensed and started walking forward. "Don't think I've forgotten how you humiliated me Asada, in front of my friends no less. So I've been practicing so I wouldn't make any more mistakes. Now I'll make you pay." Something in him snapped and without thinking he put himself between the drunken girl and Shino. Both of them gasped in surprise.

"Hey, what are you-" Endou started.

"Shut up." Darien said quietly, his hands balled into tight fists and his jaw tightened. His body shook with rage and he glared daggers at the girl who kept walking forward.

"Oh, I see, you're new here. Let me tell you something about that girl you're protecting. She's a-"

"I said shut up bitch!" His voice snapped like a whip and Endou stopped in her tracks. "If there's something she wants to tell me, she can say so herself, I won't hear it from the likes of you!" He took a step forward and as a reaction she leveled the gun on him. Now that he was closer he could tell it was fake, a toy pistol that shot pellets. "And another thing, if you're going to point that thing at me, you better be ready to use it." This time his voice came out in the low growl of barely contained violence.

In response she pulled the trigger; _pop_, the pellet flew and hit him square in the forehead. He felt a sudden flare of pain and something warm ran down beside his nose. He sprung forward with a roar, another small _pop_ followed but she didn't have much luck with her aim this time. The pellet grazed harmlessly off his shoulder. In a breath he was in the girls face and he reacted on pure impulse. His hand swept out, grasping her wrist while the other straightened and jabbed the pressure point beneath her shoulder. She yelped in pain and recoiled, dropping the gun.

Darien followed up, his fist lashing out and landing a solid blow to her nose, hard enough to hurt but not enough to break the bone. Endou landed flat on her bitchy behind as he looked over her. His eyes went from one of the lackeys to the other, both flinched. This close he could smell the booze on them, finally he lowered his gaze back to the girl whose nose he had bloodied and kicked the toy back to her.

"Get out of here." He said quietly. "And don't come near us again." She gave a sharp nod and grabbed the gun. The motion reminded him of a mouse trying to get food off a trap without setting it off. Once she had it, she got up and the three of them ran as fast as their wobbly noodle legs could take them without looking back.

"Sorry Asher-kun." Asada said behind him, he blinked in surprise. For a second there he had forgotten about her. He turned and saw an odd expression on her face, a mixture of uncertainty and a twinge of guilt. "It's not even your first day here and I caused you to get into a fight, worse, you're hurt."

"Please," He scoffed, loosening the dark colored tie from his neck. He used the soft cloth to press against the scratch on his forehead and clear his face. "It's just a scratch, head wounds just bleed a lot and that wasn't a fight. Besides, she had it coming. Come on, let's get out of here." He said, waving her over. "I hate people like that. They only have guts when they're drunk or outnumber you." The two of them left the school behind and took a right down the sidewalk, opposite of where the girls ran.

"Even still, it might be best for you not to associate with me Asher-kun."

"Don't worry about it. If I didn't want to associate with you, I wouldn't. It's as simple as that. I want to be your friend and I protect my friends. For better or worse and if you wouldn't mind, call me Darien." He said, meeting her eyes and gave her a smile and she gave one to match.

"Alright, Darien-kun," They walked together for a while longer before saying their goodbyes and going separate ways. He'd see her again soon enough, they were classmates after all. Even with all that happened this morning, this had been a great day!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

Lisbeth leaned against one of the tables in her shop, letting her head fall back as she took a deep breath and sighed, waiting for Kirito and Leafa to show up. They were going hunting for more materials she needed today, so the shop was closed. Kirito also found out what Zekken had wanted with Asuna. The blacksmith puffed out her cheeks and made an agitated growling noise. It wasn't enough that they couldn't keep their hands off each other when they were together. But now she couldn't even keep her best friend in the loop! _Honestly,_ she thought to herself, _she's hopeless sometimes. Then again…_ Her mind trailed off to how Asuna zoned out during their conversation the day before the duel. She seemed to be under a lot of stress, so maybe it wasn't all her fault.

Then there was her run in with Darien this morning, which was just odd. He was a weird one but she got the impression he wasn't a bad person. She just had to wonder how much of what he said had been half-truths. Lisbeth could still recall the look of shock he had when she came out of her shop, as if he expected to log onto an MMO and not see anyone! Who she had seen today was a complete flip of the person she met yesterday. Which made her wonder, which was the real one? With that question came many others. Like why he looked so trapped, what shook him up that badly, what made him so afraid? Her eyes lowered to her right hand, _I want to know more,_ she thought. Maybe when Kirito and Leafa showed up, she could ask them what they think of his visit. That is, after she finds out Asuna's secret mission with Zekken.

Three solid knocks tore her from her thoughts. With a few quick steps she made her way to the door, opening it to see Kirito and Leafa who greeted her. She stepped aside to allow her friends inside before closing the door behind them. The Sprigan barely had time to sit down before Lisbeth whirled on him and placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward.

"Alright, spill it. What's Asuna doing?" She demanded, the swordsman stared at her for a moment then sighed.

"You make it sound like she's doing some super secret military operation or something." He drawled.

"Out with it!"

"Fine, fine," He said raising his hands. "Apparently Zekken, whose name is Yuuki is asking Asuna to help her fight this floors boss with a single party of seven." That took her a bit to process, after a moment she regained the ability to close her mouth and speak.

"Is, is that even possible?" He shrugged.

"They seem to think so and Asuna's agreed to help them. They're going out and buying all the equipment to handle it today." Lisbeth took a seat herself and shook her head.

"And I thought today wouldn't get any stranger."

"What do you mean?" Leafa spoke up; Kirito raised an eyebrow at her, his way of being interested.

"I got a visit from Darien this morning."

"Oh?" They both asked, though in different tones of interest. Kirito was more idle curiosity; Leafa was slightly more excited though the reason why she couldn't pin down.

"You mean that Cait Sith with Lindelle? Did he come to see you specifically?" The Sylph asked almost at the same time, the other asked.

"What did he want?"

"Yeah, that's the one, but I don't think he was coming to see me. I don't really know what he wanted." The two gave exchanged looks then turned back to Lisbeth, prompting her to continue. Revisiting the memory didn't help much but she tried her best. Hopefully those two could offer some insight. "When I came out of my shop this morning, he was sitting in a chair and he seemed a little… startled? Nervous? I'm not sure. His head snapped over to me and he looked like he had seen a ghost. He was pale and his eyes looked… trapped. Like he was in pain and crying for help, he asked me to stay and talk to him so I did. I couldn't just leave him sitting there like that." She let her words sink in, Kirito looked deep in thought as did Leafa.

Eventually Kirito nodded and asked, "What happened next?"

"I sat next to him and we talked for a while. He told me he was transferring to a new school but I also got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't saying. I think there's something seriously wrong."

"What makes you say that Lisbeth? For all we know he's just an ordinary guy who had a hard time." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, thinking her words over.

"I recognize the look in his eyes. It was the same look that everyone had when they were trapped in SAO. Trapped with no chance for escape." Kirito got very quiet and when he spoke she couldn't really read past his words.

"Do you think he's an SAO survivor?" Lisbeth shook her head slowly.

"I don't know. I just want to help but I'm not sure how. I mean… Kirito, you helped Sinon. I was hoping you might have some ideas." He sat up a little straighter and looked slightly nervous and she saw that far-away look in his eyes that he got when he didn't want to talk about something.

"I don't think my methods are the best for helping people." He said holding up his hands. Leafa sighed.

"My brother just makes a lot of people mad and ends up stumbling on the solution through persistence," She teased. "Maybe you're over thinking things; did you add him as a friend this morning?" Lisbeth blinked, that's right she had, she opened the window and saw that he was online and had been for a couple of hours.

"Yeah and he's online."

"Which means he wants friends, so why not invite him to come along with us hunting? He has to be good if Lindelle asked him to help her, plus he could do a few of the quests near the hunting spots. It'll be easier to puzzle out once we know him better."

"You mean you'll help?" She asked her expression bright and hopeful.

"Sure, I'd like to know more about him myself. Like how he said he was had been trained with a sword in real life."

"Don't forget about me!" Said a small voice and a little pixy came out of her father's pocket. "I'll be more than happy to help as long as he doesn't try to seduce Mommy or Daddy." She said, chin high, hands on her hips and eyes closed like she was not going to hear any objections to the contrary. Something she got from Asuna no doubt. The three of them gave a warm burst of laughter, which Yui didn't find funny. Kirito hooked a finger around his lips, eyes gazing toward the ceiling.

"Maybe he could take my spot in getting Klien his legendary weapon…" He said quietly.

"That's your debt! You can't become friends with someone to use them like that!" Leafa shouted, the swordsman flinched and scooted halfway off his seat away from her.

"It was a joke! A joke," He said quickly, "Mostly…" He added quietly.

"You always say to follow through on your promises Daddy." Yui chimed in.

Lisbeth chuckled at Kiritos sound defeat and opened the messaging window inviting Darien to party with them. It took him a couple of minutes to respond with, 'Sure, I'd like that, questing alone isn't much fun.' She told him to meet up at the shop and smiled at the two across from her.

"He's on his way, is there anyone else we should invite?" Kirito and Leafa put a finger to their lips and looked up at the ceiling. When they did things like that it made it really easy to see that they were raised together. And she couldn't help but find it slightly adorable too.

"Recon is busy in Slyph territory today and I think Klien is working." Leafa said first, followed by Kirito.

"Agil is too, though Sinon should be back, I could send her a message."

"And I'll invite Silica." Lisbeth said, "We'll get done faster with more people anyway." The two of them sent the messages and it wasn't long before they got a response. Soon they would have an even hunting party of six and they all might make a new friend in the process. The three left the smithy, locking the door behind them and grabbed a seat outside while they waited, enjoying the slight breeze. The first to arrive was Silica along with her little dragon Pina.

"Hello everyone, I didn't keep you waiting did I?" Lisbeth shook her head with a smile and held up two fingers.

"We're still waiting on Sinon and Darien."

"Darien? You mean that Cait Sith from the other day?" She asked an echo of Leafa.

"Yeah it's the same guy; he visited Lisbeth this morning so she invited him to hang out with us." Kirito said as a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth and mischief flashed in his dark eyes. Silica looked between the two for a moment before it clicked. She placed a hand over her mouth, eyes widening as she started to say.

"Don't tell me-"

"No, no, no!" She shook her head furiously before turning to glare daggers at Kirito. "That is not how I worded it and you know it!" She growled through clenched teeth, he threw his head back in a light laugh, much to her disapproval. Even Leafa was smirking a bit but thankfully staying quiet._ I should have expected as much, sometimes he really makes me want to punch him._ "Let me explain…" She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the snickering siblings. It only took her a few minutes to explain the situation and clear up the intentional confusion.

"Ah, I see. That's very admirable of you Lisbeth." The blacksmith took a deep breath and sighed, that had been a lot to explain in a few minutes. "I'll try to help if I can but do you really think he was in that game, like the rest of us?"

"I'm not sure." She answered with a shrug and leaned back into the chair, "But I still think we could be good friends, he doesn't seem like a bad person. He can't be worse than Kirito."

"Hey!" He complained; she replied in a very mature and civilized way. By sticking her tongue out at him and folding her arms across her chest. With the obvious joke out of his system maybe he'd be able to make it the rest of the day without resorting to it again. Sinon arrived shortly after the exchange, her bow slung over her shoulder.

"Hey guys." She greeted, raising a hand. The pink haired woman got up and lifted her arms above her head in a full body stretch. Her shoes _clicked_ on the wood as she made her way down the steps and scanned the skies for the final member of the party. Behind her she heard tiny quick feet and Silicas voice.

"Sinon, did you hear? Lisbeth has a boyfriend!" She nearly fell on her face as her head snapped back to the two girls; Sinon blinked a couple of times and turned to eye Lisbeth. Her thoughts were so clearly written across her face as; _did I just hear that right?_ And was looking to her for confirmation.

"Well maybe not boyfriend, she likes him but it's kind of one sided." Heat raced along her face, her cheeks and ears burned. Her jaw clenched so hard she thought she might snap a tooth and while her nails bit into her palms.

"Silica! Not you too!" She barked, Kirito and Leafa chortled in the background, she had expected better of her! _These are the people I choose to be friends with… _She thought to herself.

"So it's true then?" Sinon asked her.

"For the last time no! He's not my boyfriend and I don't like him!" She spun on her heels and placed her hands on her hips. "Whatever, just get the joke out of your system before he gets here."

"Before who gets here?" Lisbeth quickly did another one eighty to see Darien landing a few feet away and walking closer to everyone. His eyes went from person to person, lingering on Sinon for a moment and she could see him piecing things together. After that he nodded and said. "So I clearly missed something."

* * *

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was wanting to do something a little different and figured it would be a good idea to see things from another character point of view every now and then. Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of further down the fanfic. I plan on doing at least two more chapters in Lisbeth's point of view before switching back. Also as a side note I did a bit of updating to chapter one and some minor editing to chapter two. I plan on doing small edits here and there. If it's anything major I'll include it in little notes after a chapter. Thanks for reading guys!


	9. Important Notice

Hello my readers, I know it has been a long time since I've updated. Far too long in fact and I apologize it's taken me this long to get to things over here. I've been busy with work, gone up to 25-30+ hours a week and I have been busy with other commitments so I haven't had much time to sit down and write. Plus I've been rearranging things around the house as part of the problem is that I don't have a dedicated writing space. However, that is about to change and this is the good news! Soon I'll have a desk in a quiet room that once I'm home I can have the peace and time to get in the zone and start writing more chapters. So I ask you all to be patient just a little longer. It's been a long wait but I assure you, it will be worth it. I hope to see you all in the next chapter. Until then, keep reading.

Your humble fanfic writer,

\- Abel


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